Do not let a dog use its mouth to play with a child, or to move or control one. Past about five months, mouthing is usually not play. The dog may be using its teeth to manage people, however gentle it looks. See Puppy Biting.

Do not let the dog push between you and your child during a hug or other affection. Cutting in can be jealousy, rank, or guarding of you.

Let sleeping dogs lie, and teach children that rule. Visiting children need watching. Never let a child startle, wake, or hug a sleeping dog. Dogs are often shorter-tempered in the evening. If yours drops into a heavy sleep at night, put it in a room or a crate so a child cannot wake it.

Take growling seriously. It is a warning, not conversation. Owners often say the dog “growled all the time” and are shocked when it bites. A growl means the dog is preparing to bite and needs the situation changed. Play-growling counts only if it is mild and the game is clearly cooperative, not competitive. When in doubt, stop the game.

Watch for combinations. A dog may tolerate a child near a chew, and tolerate a hug on the couch, and still growl or bite when it is hugged on the couch while it has the chew. It may accept a hug, and accept being held by the collar, and still snap when it is hugged while restrained or frustrated. The overlap is where people get hurt.

Do not allow any of the following:

• Rough play toward a child
• A display of physical strength toward a child
• Growling, including during play
• Snapping or nipping
• Humping or mounting a child or an adult
• Avoidance of contact — backing off or leaving when a child hugs, pets, or comes close
• Fear of the child
• Jealousy when parents, or a parent and child, are affectionate — barking or cutting in
• Guarding of a bowl, a chew, a toy, or a stolen item: freezing, stiffening, glaring, growling, snarling, or showing teeth
• Tying, chaining, or penning the dog where it can watch children running and squealing
• Letting the dog get wild or disobedient around children who are playing

A dog in a home with children should genuinely prefer them, not merely tolerate them. Even a gentle, supervised child will eventually push past what is fair. A dog that starts with real affection for children has more room before it reaches that point. A well-supervised child is less likely to be the one who pushes it there. We do not recommend rawhide or similar chews. Remove high-value items before children are in the room.